


Gods of Circuits and Code

by Zesraer



Category: LitRPG - Fandom, Stonehaven League
Genre: Consequences for MC's actions, Gen, Isekai, LitRPG, MC antagonizes gods, MC cannot leave game without experiencing problems, MC doesn't have time for Zaa's bullshit, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sarcasm, Tags May Change, Trapped, Veia tries to help, Video Game Mechanics, What the frilly hell even is the Arcane?, Zaa is a pompous ass, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 12:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17386337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zesraer/pseuds/Zesraer
Summary: What happened to the first batch of beta testers that Penelope recruited?  What if one had been made aware of the threat Zaa posed to the others within the game and signed up specifically to try and hinder him at every opportunity?





	1. Prologue

I lean back in the grass, I was going to miss this. Avatharn only had a few hours left and you could be damn well sure I was going to be spending it the way I wanted. That meant no people. No groupies trying to guess who I was in real life. No players looking for a pvp match or one last dungeon run. I was on my own and I loved it.  I knew plenty of people were hanging out with their friends or guildies today.  Doing last minute raids and endgame content as the clock clicked down the last hours of Avathorn.  But in all my time playing the game, I had never been big on the whole player player interactions.

So I avoided them in game.  I had always kept my gaming life and my private life separate.  It wasn't a habit I planned to break on the last day.  So instead of to the cities, I took to the forests here.  Delighting in their greenery.  It was hard to find a spot of nature back home, all the parks had this sterilized feel about them in my city.  But here, here every natural space was wild and unrestrained.  It was one of the reasons I loved Avatharn and would miss it dearly.  As I am lying back in the grass, a notification pings in front of my eyes notifying me a player has entered my vicinity.  My hopes that they are just passing through are immediately dashed when a knight walks up to me.  He was confident in his swagger and I could tell he wanted something.  I pulled my hood down slightly, though due to my gear it was impossible to see my face.

"Merlin!  I'm so happy to see you."  The guy gives a cheeky grin, "I was really hoping to meet you before the end of the game.  Maybe be the first person to see your face in game?  I mean it's the last day, it's not like the mystery matters anymore."  I sigh and stand up.  With a flick of my finger I bring up the chat interface.  My thoughts take care of the rest and soon a local chat message appears to anyone in the zone.

'Some mysteries are best left unsolved.  I plan to retire as Merlin, no need for anyone else to know who I am.  I don't mix my public and private lives.  So no, I'm not going to reveal my identity to you.  Or the world through your stream that I can tell you have running at the moment.'  The chat ended.  I knew that I was being abrasive and a bit rude but I really didn't want people to be harassing me over a bunch of pixels.  Merlin had made a name for themselves in the community of Avathorn through taking on what many would consider difficult to impossible achievements and feats.  There were very few puzzles in the game they hadn't solved.  Many players within the community had made the assumption that Merlin was a male player.  A fact that irked me to no end.  It wasn't like girls were uncommon in the community but it was always assumed that the player on the other side of the screen was male without other confirmation.  And it appeared my knight was no different.

"Dude, you have to show me.  I've got a stream of all your fans.  We deserve to know, we've dedicated years to following you!  Come on man, I'm your biggest fan."  I survey the knight before me before settling on his nameplate.  Vivianus.  I resist the urge to sneer back at him.  I didn't like the pressure to reveal who I was.  A finger wave brings up the chat interface, and I have to keep my thoughts steady to manage a legible message.  
'I thought I had made myself clear.  Merlin's gone after Avathorn goes down.  And who I am is no one's business but my own.'  Vivianus snarls and with a wave dismisses the stream.  I can feel my heart beat faster as he draws his blade.  He glares at me,  "I thought you were cool.  Instead you embarass me in front of everyone.  You won't even give me the dignity of speaking to me.  Why do you hide behind the damned text?  Are you freaking mute or something?"

He didn't give me a chance to answer, just plunged the great sword into my stomach.  "The great Merlin falls though.  Good luck in retirement.  You weren't worth the worship the others gave you.  It's a good thing you will be gone.  So a real gamer can take your place."  I had experienced death in the game before, but as my body turned to fizzy pixels.  At least Vivianus wouldn't be able to reveal who I was.  I could be happy in the fact that it would bug him for awhile, having no idea who the player who snubbed him actually was.

_You were slain by player Vivianus.  Permadeath has been enabled for the final day of uptime for Avatharn Online.  You may not respawn.  Logout?_

I knew I could watch other popular gamers' streams for the final hour or so but really it wasn't worth it.  There were no sensations associated with the streams.  I wouldn't be able to smell the air or feel the grass.  I sigh and hit the logout button.  I come back to awareness of my own body and push open the VR pod.  I feel my nose wrinkle as I take in the scent of old sweat and antiseptic and I get out of the thing as quickly as I can.  As much as I loved gaming, I hated the scent that lingered after using the pods.  As I exited, the current on duty tech tried to ask me if I wanted to refresh my time on the usage card keyed to my account.  I shrugged and shook my head, "Not planning on gaming much in the future so I don't think so.  Thank you though."  That day I thought I was done gaming for good, that Merlin would only remain a small mystery on the footnote of Avatharn's legacy.  Those ideas continued until a letter arrived a few weeks later.  A letter from E Squared Entertainment.


	2. Pre-Beta

My fingers traced along the ridges of the Entwined implants.  They still twinged after the surgery and feeling the circuits catch beneath my skin was odd to say the least.  But E Squared had insisted that it was part of the beta tester package.  While I was no stranger to body modification, and I wasn't opposed to it, the idea of being wired for instant access to Relic Online had been a bit of a leap for me.  I think E Squared had forseen it though and they had offered a pretty nice compensation package as a full time employee for the company.  Provided that Relic Online was a good fit, they agreed to keep me on as a flagship avatar.  Which meant I would be used in some of the generic promotional material if I behaved myself.

As I round the corner to the E Squared offices, I notice a large crowd gathered in front of the doors.  Apparently the word about the start date for the first wave of beta testers hadn't been kept a secret and people were eager to know who exactly had been chosen.  I let a heavy sigh pass my lips as I search for a back entrance.  Finding none, I try to slip through the gathered crowd.  I didn't want to be late.  As I push my way through the group, I feel my elbow hit someone.  Hearing a gasp of pain and surprise, I quickly turn to apologize.  A young woman stands, rubbing her arm.  She smirks as she looks up at me,  
  
"Nice hit there."  I open my mouth to apologize before she hushes me and I see the spark of laughter in her blue eyes.  "I'm guessing that you are one of the actual beta testers.  Seeing as you have the implants and all."  She barely pauses for me to give a slight nod of confirmation.  "I'm so jealous!  I've been trying so hard to get into one of the beta tester waves and to think you are one of the first who will be able to see the game!"  She is pretty much bouncing with enthusiasm.  I was a bit jealous that she could get so excited about things, as far as I knew this was just another game.  Albeit one with some interesting new tech.  Still I was a bit hesitant, after all I had made a very public annoucement in Avathorn that my gaming days were over.  And now I was returning.  I gave the young woman a small smile.  "Hey give me your contact info, I can pass it along to my recruiter.  No promises though."  The girl practically glowed with excitement as she hurriedly sent her contact information over with a handshake.  I look at her name and shake my head before sending my info back.  "Oh and Joan?  Just be careful.  I know it sounds rich coming from me but it's not wise to just hand out your information like that.  I stand by my promise but some people might not have your best interests at heart."  She shrugs before responding.  "I had a good feeling about you.  My gut says I can trust you.  You're a good person," she looked into the distance for a moment.  More than likely pulling up my name.  "Ms. Ligia?"  I give a quick shrug in her direction.  It was her choice on what she did with her information and I had just given mine to a stranger as well.  Glass houses I guess.  With that I continued to push through the crowd to the front doors of the E Squared complex.

The building was massive.  As I opened the doors, I felt lost.  A quick scan of the recieving area gave me no sign of where I was supposed to be nor of anyone who was here to meet testers.  Crap, was I late?  I knew it was the correct day at least.  Great first impression Shiloh.  Being late on your first day on the job.  The only day that being on time mattered.  You set your schedule every other day.  I was pacing back and forth when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  Whirling around to tell someone off for touching me, I saw one of the employees of E Squared.  A quick scan of the woman I see before me shows that she is Penelope Sansbury.  I drop the snarl from my face.  The urge to snap at a person for startling you quickly disappears when it is your future boss.

Penelope smiles at me and offers a hand.  "Hello Miss?"  I quickly take it in nervous handshake.  "Shiloh, Shiloh Ligia.  I'm here as one of your prospective beta testers."  Penelope broke out into a warm smile.  "Shiloh, welcome!  I was hoping to meet you before you ended up on the test.  You will be one of our end game beta testers.  You are slotted to start in the portion of the game that the A.I. I designed runs.  You are the final one of my beta testers to arrive.  Come right this way and we can discuss how this is going to work." She lead me out of the main recieving area towards a set of elevators and up a floor or two to a conference room that was set back in the building.  One with a view of the city behind us and not the crowd that I had run into the front door.


End file.
